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Abaantu (a Bantu word meaning “People”) is a community arts event that centres contemporary African cultural experiences. For this edition, Kinfolk Festival partnered with Studio sísp̓l̓k̓ to create a space where Black and Indigenous artists could share work side by side, through land-based performance art, contemporary and traditional practices, song, and spoken word.
Across the night, audiences were welcomed into:
Music and stories honouring both ancestral memory and future possibility
Performances grounded in land, language, and lived experience
A rez-based gathering that highlighted the need for spaces where Black and Indigenous artistic expression can exist on its own terms
“Somewhere On The Rez” is more than a concert title; it’s a commitment to making room for our peoples’ futures, right here on the land, with our communities present.
This event has been put together by Kinfolk Nation, in collaboration with Studio sisp̓l̓k̓, Vines Art Society, and Africa Ubuntu Association, with support from the UBCO Black Student Success Program (BSSP) and the Beyond Tomorrow Scholars Program (BTSP).